tightened 1 of 2

Definition of tightenednext

tightened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of tighten
as in tensed
to draw tight tighten the straps on the backpack so that the load doesn't shift while hiking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tightened
Verb
But many of them might have already found that relocating to some countries, or obtaining a second passport in these places, has become harder over the last couple of years as these have tightened residency and descent rules. Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 Israeli authorities have tightened security across Jerusalem’s Old City, limiting gatherings and restricting access to major religious sites due to fears of violence and missile threats tied to the regional war. Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 29 Mar. 2026 New Orleans led after the first quarter, but Detroit tightened on defense in the second. CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026 Following the Federal Reserve’s aggressive rate hikes and the 2023 banking crisis, lenders tightened underwriting and pulled back from riskier deals. Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026 Iran, meanwhile, tightened its grip on the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Arkansas Online, 27 Mar. 2026 Iran, meanwhile, tightened its grip on the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Stan Choe, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026 Even when spacing tightened, as long as people kept moving, the crowd held its direction and maintained something close to equilibrium. Yook Jihun, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026 Wednesday’s result tightened the stakes. C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tightened
Adjective
  • For working class voters with inflexible work schedules, limited transportation and scarce childcare, adding a document requirement is not a neutral inconvenience.
    Kica Matos, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2026
  • The technique was inextricably bound to his worldview as a prober and philosopher uncommitted to absolute truth or inflexible morality; in Preminger’s world, there are always myriad perspectives that, if not equally valid, are equally considered.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Everyone in the barber shop flinched at the sound and tensed their shoulders.
    Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Studios in collaboration with Banijay’s DLO Producciones, tracks the rise of the founding leader of Los Miami, a gang which controlled Madrid’s insatiable ‘90s drug business, tensed by sudden explosive violence, and the drug-lord’s multiple near-death experiences.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025
Adjective
  • Early on, the emotive Moon opposes firm Saturn, meaning that our plans might get caught between patience with ourselves and duties to others.
    Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Just under eight minutes into the first period Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers, Ovechkin popped Flyers defenseman Cam York with a firm but largely unremarkable shove.
    Bailey Johnson, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • My parents took me on my first flight at three months old and never stopped, raising me in a world that stretched far beyond home.
    Shayla Martin, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Apr. 2026
  • The other day, a squad of dancers stretched and limbered up in the halls as, outside, the lions stayed still.
    Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Yet the music industry can move at an unyielding clip, particularly when artists are rocketing to stardom like Young was.
    Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2026
  • The breath of air, and the freedom of movement, only reinforce the moral asphyxiation taking place inside—and emphasize the unyielding authority sustaining the city’s public life.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • The service Plentiful, youthful, and uniformly charming (though the stiff, ice-blue staff uniforms are oddly unflattering).
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Mix water with dish soap (or a little vinegar) and scrub with a broom or stiff brush.
    Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Tom had to insure that my breast was pulled completely taut.
    Amanda Peet, New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2026
  • All around the skiff, pink river dolphins pop up for air, their taut blush bodies arcing briefly before vanishing with barely a splash.
    Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Pitches that just barely graze the rigid outer edge of the strike zone prompted questions about how infinitesimally accurate the HawkEye technology that underpins ABS can be.
    Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The film’s surplus of action and chase scenes follows the same rigid formula of swooping camera movements and game power-up deus ex machinas that no sequence ever proves particularly exciting.
    Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Tightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tightened. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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